Systems and methods for ink jet printing on textiles are well known. “Direct to garment” printing provides for the production of an image by placing ink drops on the textile (garment) at distinct adjacent sites. This method of digital printing on textiles normally features an inkjet printer which applies ink on top of the textile. Herein a textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial fibers often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw wool fibers, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands known as yarn. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing fibers together. When applied, the ink penetrates the textile saturating the fibers which is desirable for the image to be wash fast, meaning the ink does not rinse away when the textile is laundered.
Ink is delivered to the textile through print heads in a manner similar to that employed by standard inkjet printers used for printing on paper products. Changes in textile thickness, print heads settings, and image size as well as environmental changes and different weaves from different mills impact the application of the image on the textile. It is desirable to minimize the distortion or inconsistency of images. In addition, current methods do not allow a means for changing ink heads in the middle of a print process, therefore the process must be stopped, the head removed, replaced and realign before the beginning the print process again. Performing these steps is difficult and can compromise the printing of the current image. Whereas current systems and methods require multiple passes, embodiments of the present invention provide novel systems, methods and devices for printing an image on a textile in a single pass. Embodiments of the present invention further provide novel systems and methods for adjusting and changing ink heads during a print process.